Common Sense
by hiding duh
Summary: Justin/Alex. So... let's talk about that gaping plot hole for a moment.


**Title**: Common Sense

**Fandom**: Wizards of Waverly Place

**Characters/Pairings**: Justin/Alex

**Summary**: So... let's talk about that gaping plot hole for a moment.

**Rating**: PG

**Spoilers**: For the movie.

**Word Count**: 850

**Notes**: I seriously can't believe I'm writing this, but I accidentally saw the movie and kept expecting their parents to say something like, "Just kidding, Alex, you're totally adopted!" 'Cause those two don't act like siblings.

I apologize in advance for poking my nose into your fandom. I've only seen the movie, so feel free to correct me if I've screwed up royally.

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Here's the thing.

Alex likes normal stuff. Like winning arguments and cute guys with accents and awesome adventures. She doesn't like thinking. Thinking is not her thing. It's an established fact that thinking doesn't work for her.

But there's this thing, okay. It's called chronological order. Max is the youngest. This is why he forgot so quickly and why that weird tornado thing sucked him up first. It makes sense.

But Justin is the oldest, so Alex totally should've been next to go, right?

Except, she didn't forget anything. And she didn't get vacuumed up by some creepy twister.

Which makes her think, even if her parents never met, maybe she'd still exist. Somehow.

"Slow down," Justin tells her. "I can _hear_ your brain cells dying."

She gives him a pointed look, and scoots closer.

They're sharing a log, watching their parents do gross parent stuff on the beach. She's happy they remember her again, yeah, but they're still nine kinds of embarrassing, so she covers her face and says, "So, I kinda have a question."

Suspicious, Justin frowns. "Wait. You want _me_ to answer it?"

She glares. "No, it's a rhetorical question."

The corners of his lips curl a little. "Oh, so you started learning big words."

"Am I adopted?"

He should, like, choke violently and sputter and whatever. Instead, he keeps his eyes on the horizon, all calm and annoying. "Why?"

Her knee bumps against his briefly. " 'Cause."

Slowly, he turns his head. Their eyes meet. "Do you _want_ to be adopted?"

_Sometimes_, she thinks, but says, "I don't know. Maybe my real brother is cool or something."

Justin gives her a look. "Maybe my real sister is smart."

She cracks a shameless grin and pats his knee. "Nah, you're totally stuck with me."

He slings an arm around her shoulder. His fingers brush across her skin. "That's okay."

"Huh," she smirks. The tip of her sandal pokes his. "So you're saying you can't live without me." Her hip aligns with his. "You're so freakin' lame."

With an offended scowl, Justin scrunches up his face. "I won't repeat it," he warns.

"Hey," she counters, shrugging, "I'm not the one that was all, _I don't know who you are but I looove you_."

The temperature rises. If his cheeks are dark, it's totally because it's so hot here. "I never said that."

If _her _cheeks are dark it's probably because she should lay off the makeup. "You said you'd never leave me."

He turns to glance at her. His breath mixes with hers. "How is that even REMOTELY the same thing?"

She brings her lips closer. "How is it NOT?"

"Oh, sure, this isn't weird or anything," Max says in passing and disappears from sight, chasing after their parents.

Justin and Alex exchange glances.

"It's not weird if I'm adopted," she reasons flippantly.

Justin stares at her for a moment, then slides his hand to her head, and forces her to turn away. "No, it's still weird."

Here's the thing, though.

Justin's smart.

Justin's going to figure it out.

He's going to realize that tornado thing never came to get her. He's going to see how this makes no sense. Even if it's magic, even if it's weird, it's still supposed to make sense. Max first, Alex second. If it's obvious to _her_, it's gotta be super obvious to Justin. 'Cause seriously, thinking is totally his thing.

"What are you doing?" he asks.

"Texting Harper," she replies with a touch of arrogance. "Wanna tell her what you said. About how much you looove me."

He grabs her hands. "Don't tell anyone."

Her lips curl wickedly. "You'll do my homework for a month."

Defeated, he lets go. "I wonder if my real sister is a criminal."

"Blackmail is not a crime," she notes casually, guiding his arm back to her shoulder.

He hesitates, but only for a moment. His grip on her tightens. "In what universe?"

"You know... I could _make_ it not be a crime."

He arranges his face into a solemn expression. "So. I have a lifetime of this ahead of me."

Her heart skips a beat. Only a little, though. And not because of Justin. "Whatever," she mutters, annoyed. "Who told you to make promises you can't keep?"

His knee presses against hers. "Oh, I'll keep it."

She steals a glance at his profile.

"If nothing else, out of spite."

Alex bites back a grin.

Yeah. Thinking is not her thing. She likes winning arguments and cute guys and awesome adventures.

Oddly enough, sitting with Justin on a freakin' log, watching their parents chase after Max, seems to cover all three of those things.


End file.
